TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Happy birthday to TTOL and Jules!

It seems unbelievable even to me, but TTOL went live TWENTY YEARS ago today!! It has been a wild ride! We have had some ups and downs and we are a lot older now and ...?. I was going to say 'wiser', but then, maybe not! We have met an amazing number of great people and made some lifetime friends. We have to say thanks, first, to our sponsors, as otherwise there is no way we could have kept the lights on here! And a HUGE shout-out to all of our moderators, without which we would have gone absolutely insane, even more than we have. Many of them have gone on to other things, but special thanks to JD (ruralcarrier) for sticking around through some thick and a lot of thin. And thanks to our members, without whom there would be no board. The world has changed mightily over the past 20 years and hopefully TTOL can survive even our current woes.

And, by sheer coincidence, we adopted our pound puppy Jules on August 14, 2008. We have no idea when his actual birthday is, but have always used the date he came to us. He has been a work in progress throughout his years, but we adore him.



Yesterday he had his annual checkup and while age has crept up on him, he still is happy and energetic. A couple years ago, we adopted his little buddy, Teddy, who helps keep him young.



They are both the joy of our lives.

Hugh congratulations and wishing you Folks all the best .

Thanks Lesley! You too. And thanks for your support over the years.

Thanks, Carol! This is very cool.
Speaking for myself, I have made so so many friends through this forum and had so much fun because of them....shout-outs to Saildoggie (RIP), Malcolm, Nick, Dirk, Walker (though he does not really drop in anymore) - so many more - I remember finding this place when we were planning our very first bareboat trip 12 years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. All I did was do a google search for info on the BVI....and there you all were!

Thanks for putting so much hard work into keeping the lights on....don't know what I'd do without these boards!

Happy bday! I remember the Prodigy board! Happy Bday Jules!
irina

Happy birthday Jules!

Thanks, all! It has been fun! (Most of the time! )

Thanks for all you do. Despite all the Facebook groups, I still think TTOL is the most informative place regarding SXM.

Linda--thanks! You and me both!

I, too, remember the Prodigy Days! 20 years seems unbelievable to me. Congratulations and Happy Birthday TTOL! And a special thank you to the Hills for everything you have done to keep Members and non members informed!

Prodigy was all there was, back then. We've come a long way, sort of.

Happy 20th Anniversary, Carol Hill! (and, of course, Happy Birthday to Jules!). I have only posted a couple of times a few years ago, but I look at TTOL every day. Sometimes, many times a day especially during/after IRMA and now during this pandemic. The information on TTOL is invaluable to me and my husband. Thank you Carol for the information you provide and how you hold people accountable to provide factual information. We travel to our time share in St. Maarten and sail the BVI every year (sometimes a few times a year) so you can imagine how important many of the posts are to us. I also want to thank many of the "regulars" who post often with important information.

Warmest wishes for another 20 years, Carol!

Marie--not sure about another 20 years but I very much appreciate your post.

Happy Birthday to Jules and TTOL!
Thank you for maintaining this informative site!

Who knows where we'll get our info about St. Maarten in 20 years, but I think this is the best place connecting locals, expats, and people who love to visit.

Thank you so much for starting TTOL, my go to place for information for traveling.And thanks to all the regular contributors for providing real time information.Normally we are booked by now for our winter vacation but this year we are still in the wait and see mode. So without a travel date to look forward to TTOL is our way of staying connected to SXM.

Congratulations—- I too date from the Prodigy days (pchx28a) and enjoyed meeting you 20+ years ago at Grand Lido Negril. This travel forum gives me a daily SXM fix and brings back great memories.

Gary--Great memories at Grand Lido!! Thanks..

Happy birthday to both! It has been an honor and a pleasure to have been a small part of TTOL and to have met many people through TTOL. Thanks!

Congratulation Carol and Eric and Jules. An awful lot of people have derived a great deal of information and island knowledge as well as a lot of strong friendships through this forum not to mention the pleasure of being able to easily connect with friends all over the country.

Happy Birthday to TTOL and huge thanks to Carol and Eric for their courage in starting it and perseverance in keeping it operating and growing and staying relevant throughout these long years!

It has been - and continues to be - an honor to support them and TTOL in my small volunteer roll.

Thanks, JD, Pat and Bill, three of our moderator heroes. Thanks for your help..

Happy Anniversary---we've been here from the beginning and appreciate all your work.
I Remember your puppies and all the info that was shared.

I also remember sitting in my villa, instead of the deck at BSV, trying to learn how to post pictures
and keep up to date--my husband kept asking me when I was going to join him. LOL

Thanks........

Congratulations to you and Eric and Happy Birthday to Jules. Thank you so much for TTOL. I'm not the most active poster, but I'm here every morning. It's such a great site. Like a few have said, I've met so many great friends because of this site and for that, I'm so appreciative.

Terri-- I hope one or the other of us is sitting at BSV SOON, posting pictures.

And Wingman--making friends is the best part of TTOL.

Happy Birthday, TTOL & Jules !!!!!

Hey Bette! Good to see you. Take care.

Hi Carol, Thank you You too ! I'm here lurking around. I don't have anything to add, so I sit quietly, read the posts and dream of vacationing. Thanks for still being here.

Bette--sadly, for now, most of us are just dreaming of vacationing..

While we don't post a lot, we have been going to SXM for over 20 years. I love reading all I can about the island and their issues, both good and bad. We have met many people on island both from the old TTOL parties that we attended and sponsored as well. I miss them and the island. And hope that we can get back there soon and enjoy it and support them. But I thank everyone for making TTOL and SXM so informative. I know it takes a lot of work and I thank you for all your time and effort you contribute to this.

Bravo! Love the info on your site!!!!!!

happy birthday to all and congrats...and thank you for being here for all of us!!

Thanks, everyone!!

Thanks for all you have done to keep this site interesting and fairly accurate. I assume it is a tremendous job and am so glad that Carol and I have a place to visit to see what is going on in our favorite vacation destination. Well Done! And we love you adorable friends.

Just another note of thanks....I don't post all that much either but I read everything! It's been a great source of information and enjoyment over the years. Thanks for sticking with it and for sharing such love with your pup!

Thanks, everyone! We appreciate it!

Thanks for all your hard work, we don't post a lot either but do enjoy reading about St. Martin

congrats you guys!

Happy Birthday and congratulations on 20 years! What a great site for all things SXM.